Five Original Works Including the Play 'Hwajeon' to Premiere in Mid-February

'2023 Performing Arts Creation Workshop New Works of the Year' is a support project by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service to discover outstanding new works.

Last May, 27 works were selected through the final performance review in six genres (theater, original musical, dance, music, original opera, traditional arts). The selected works have been performing since January at Arko Arts Theater and Daehangno Arts Theater, among others.

From mid-February, five works will open: the play TEDDY DADDY RUN, the dance The Line of Obsession, the plays Hwajeon and Strange Country, Sara, and the music performance In & Around C.

The play TEDDY DADDY RUN will be performed from the 16th to the 25th at the Arko Arts Theater Small Theater. It is a road trip action play following Yoonseo, a sixteen-year-old Korean child, and Nina, a fifteen-year-old Kopino (second-generation child born between a Korean father and a Filipino mother), as they search for their missing father across Manila, Philippines. Using the social issue of Kopino as its theme, it powerfully portrays the strong and precious bonds of children shining under irresponsible adults.

The dance The Line of Obsession by Jeong Hyeong-il Ballet Creative will be performed on the 17th and 18th at the Arko Arts Theater Grand Theater. Inspired by Mondrian’s images obsessively exploring the line of essence, this work destroys the classical ballet’s representative characters?the swan and the fairy?and contemplates the essence of ballet through movements and visuals expressed by Mondrian’s lines and spaces.

Play 'Hwajeon' [Photo provided by Korea Arts & Culture Education Service]

The play Hwajeon by the creative collective Arke was created based on historical records related to the birth of 'Jeongseon Arari.' Set in the Seowoon Mountain valley of Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, which was long the home of Hwajeon people during early Joseon, it depicts the conflicts and reconciliation, as well as historical trials, experienced by two groups of different social statuses (indigenous Hwajeon people and hidden loyalists of Goryeo) coexisting, expressed through sorrowful yet joyful melodies. It will be performed from the 17th to the 25th at Daehangno Arts Theater Grand Theater.

The play Strange Country, Sara by the creative group Sangsang Dumok will be performed from the 23rd to March 3rd at Daehangno Arts Theater Small Theater. The work centers on Sara, a girl who wants to escape the stares, whispers, and finger-pointing of society after her mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia, a subject that has become a target of hatred in Korean society. The story focuses more on the attitudes of citizens and society toward people with mental illness rather than on the individuals themselves.

The music performance In & Around C weaves together the stories and sounds created by ten musicians active in various genres such as Korean traditional music, jazz, electronic music, and European early music. It will be performed on the 24th and 25th at Platform L Platform Live.

Detailed information about the 2023 Creation Workshop New Works of the Year can be found on the official website. Tickets can be reserved through the Arko and Daehangno Arts Theater websites, Interpark, and other platforms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.